Sagar Movietone

Last updated

Sagar Movietone
Company type Private
Industry Indian Film industry
Founded1929
FounderChimanlal Desai, Ambalal Patel, Ardeshir Irani
Defunct1940
Headquarters,
Products Films

Sagar Movietone also Sagar Films, Sagar Film Company and Sagar Productions was an Indian film production company involved in the making of films for Indian cinema. It was launched by Ardeshir Irani with Chimanlal Desai and Dr. Ambalal Patel in 1929 in Bombay, Maharashtra, India. [1] Sagar was initially started as a branch company of Ardeshir's Imperial Film Company. Several key figures from Imperial, such as Mehboob Khan were shifted to Sagar. The studio was in operation from 1930 to 1939. In 1940, it combined with General Pictures to form National Studios. [2] It made "Parsi theatre based films, mythologicals and stunt movies". Sagar fostered the career of many artists who rose to prominence. Early directors such as Prafulla Ghosh, Sarvottam Badami, Ezra Mir and Nanubhai Vakil were promoted by the company. Mehboob Khan got his first break as a director in Al Hilal in 1935. He was referred to as "the most important alumnus" from Sagar, who went on to become one of Indian cinema's "most influential film-makers". [3]

Contents

With the launch of the studio, five silent films were produced in 1930. Their first silent film was Dav Pech (The Web) (1930). Their first talkie film was Meri Jaan, also called Romantic Prince (1931). That year Sagar made nine films. The company also produced films in Gujarati, Telugu, Tamil, Bengali and Punjabi. The first Tamil talkie was produced by Sagar Movietone; Kalidas (1931), directed by H. M. Reddy and starring T. P. Rajalakshmi.[ citation needed ] However, production reference for Kalidas has also been credited to Imperial Film Company, the parent company of Sagar. [4] The first Gujarati Talkie Narsinh Mehta was produced by Sagar in 1932.

Films such as Manmohan (1936), Jagirdar (1937), Hum Tum Aur Woh (1938) and Ek Hi Raasta (1939) were stated to be a notable collaboration between Mehboob Khan as director and Anil Biswas as music composer. [5] Both Mehboob Khan and Biswas worked at Sagar for a long period, with their collaboration extending to National Studios. [6]

History

The people involved in the formation of Sagar Movietone were: Ardeshir Irani who started the company as a subsidiary of Imperial Films in 1929; Chimanlal Bhogilal Desai and Dr. Ambalal Patel who joined and took over the company in 1930.

Chimanlal B. Desai (1938) Chimanlal Desai (1938).jpg
Chimanlal B. Desai (1938)

Production

Work

By the time Desai and Patel took over, nearly ten silent films were made starting with Dav Pech (The Web) (1930). Out of a total of 12 silent films, only two; Hoor-E-Misr and Dilawar were made following Desai and Ambalal joining Sagar. From the sixty-six films produced by Sagar, fifty-two were in Hindi, five in Tamil. three in Telugu, four in Gujarati and one in Punjabi. [11] When Irani left Sagar in 1930 to concentrate on Alam Ara (1931), Sagar started work on its first talkie Meri Jaan (Romantic Prince) (1931), operating equipment used by Irani during the day for Alam Ara, while Sagar technicians used it during the night. Some of the notable films from Sagar were:

Veer Abhimanyu (1931), directed by Prafulla Ghosh and starring Jal Merchant, Zubeida, Yakub, Jilloobai, and Mehboob Khan. Narsinh Mehta (Gujarati) (1932), directed by Nanubhai Vakil became the first feature film in Gujarati. The cast included Master Manhar, Mohanlala, Marutirao and Mehtab. Chandrahasa (1933), directed by Sarvottam Badami, Farzande Hind (1934), Shaher Ka Jadoo which introduced Motilal.

Grihalaxmi (1934) was directed by Sarvottam Badami. A family melodrama about an educated wife going through humiliation at the hands of her husband, but continues to stay with him, it starred Sabita Devi, Jal Merchant and Yakub. [12] Badami was known for directing "socially relevant" films for Sagar Movietone. [13] It was a remake of Bhaneli Bhamini (1927), which carried a social message against sexually transmitted disease. [14]

Al Hilal (1935) was the debut direction by Mehboob Khan and introduced Sitara Devi in the leading role opposite Kumar. Dr. Madhurika, a film, though successful at the box-office, got a mixed response from a select audience group, which were disappointed with the female protagonist submitting in the end.

Actors

Motilal was born in Simla. While in Bombay he visited a shooting schedule at Sagar Studios. He was spotted by director K. P. Ghosh and offered the lead in Shehar Ka Jadoo (1934). He had no formal training, which acted to his benefit, becoming known for his natural acting. He was to work in several top films produced by Sagar most of them opposite Sabita Devi, Silver King, Dr. Madhurika, Do Diwane, Jagirdar (1937), Kokila, Kulvadhu and Hum Tum Aur Woh. He left Sagar to join Ranjit Studios. [15]

Sabita Devi was one of the top paid actresses at the time. She started her career in silent films, and with the arrival of talkies learned Hindi. She shifted from British Dominion Films Ltd., Calcutta, to Kinema Arts, and then worked for the Calcutta-based East India Film Company. She moved to Bombay and joined Sagar Film Company. She acted opposite Motilal in his debut film Shaher Ka Jadoo (1934). She was the star of Sagar Movietone and acted in several films produced by them. Her last film for them was Ladies Only (1939). She left Sagar and went into partnership with Dr. Ambalal Patel and Sarvottam Badami at Sudama Pictures. [16]

Surendra came to Bombay on the insistence of film distributor Lala Alopi Prasad. Mehboob Khan gave him his debut role in Deccan Queen (1935) and Manmohan (1936). Manmohan was made as a Bombay response to the Calcutta-produced Devdas (1935). Surendra's acting and singing were appreciated by the audiences and he went on to act in several roles that show-cased his sensitive appeal. He moved to National with Mehboob Khan giving performances in successful films such as Aurat. [17]

Bibbo acted in India's first sound film Alam Ara. She worked in thirteen films produced by Sagar. Her popular pairing with Surendra had them acting in several films together, most famous being Manmohan, Gramaphone Singer and Ladies Only. When Sagar shut down, she shifted to Circo Productions. [18]

Yakub started his acting career as an extra in silent films in Sharda Film Company. He joined Sagar Film Company and was a regular in most films produced by them. He acted in their first talkie, Meri Jaan. He worked with Mehboob Khan in several films and formed a working and friendly relationship with him. He shifted to National Studios with Khan when Sagar shut down acting in Aurat (1940) cited as one of the finest performances in Indian cinema. [19]

Other stars who worked with Sagar were Kumar, Maya Banerejee, Snehprabha Pradhan, Wahidan Bai, Kanhaiyalal and popular comedians such as Noor Mohammed Charlie, Bhudo Advani and V. H. Desai. Mukesh the playback singer, first acted in a Sagar production Nirdosh. [6]

Directors

Mehboob Khan was shifted from Imperial to Sagar at its formation. He played supporting roles in several initial Sagar films. With the help of his friends cinematographer Faredoon Irani and Gangaram, a laboratory assistant, he developed a story narrating it to Ambalal Patel. The film was Al Hilal (Judgement Of Allah) and it marked the entry of Mehboob as a director. He was to direct several successes for Sagar such as Deccan Queen, Manmohan, Jagirdar, Watan , Hum Tum Aur Woh , Ek Hi Raasta (1939) and Ali Baba . He moved to National Studios on its formation and directed three big hits; Aurat, Bahen (1941) and Roti (1942). He went on to form his own production company Mehboob Productions in 1943 and remade Aurat in 1957 as Mother India (1957), which went on to become a classic. [20]

Sarvottam Badami came to Bombay from Bangalore to learn automobile engineering. He was asked by Ardeshir Irani to help in the recording for Alam Ara. Though he only knew Kannada and English, he was asked to direct regional films such as Harishchandra (1932), Galav Rishi and Rama Paduka Pattabhishekam (1932) for Sagar. His first Hindi film for them was Chandrahasa (1933), following which he directed Grihalakshmi. He made satirical comedies such as Teen Sau Din Ke Baad (1938), and Ladies Only, both of which were big commercial successes. His specialty, however, was sensitive, socially relevant films, which included Dr. Madhurika, Ver Ka Badla, Jeevanlata, Village Girl, Kokila, Kulvadhu and Ladies Only. [13] All these films had Sabita Devi as the leading lady, paired most often with Motilal. He left to join Dr. Ambalal Patel at Sudama Pictures.

Ezra Mir initially worked in Madan Studios in a few films as an actor. He went to Hollywood and joined Universal Studios, working in several categories, before returning to India in 1930. He was invited to work on Nurjehan (1930) by Ardeshir Irani. His next film direction Zarina (1932) was offered to him by Desai for Sagar, which became a success. His other films included Pagal Premi (Mad Cap) where he introduced Noor Mohammed Charlie in a main role and Farzand-E-Hind (Phantom Of The Hills) (1934). He then left Sagar and moved to Calcutta. He was to make a shift from feature films to documentaries, during WWII. He made a series of short films under the series Road To Recovery In 1940, he joined the Government Advisory Board. [21]

The other directors of note at Sagar were C. M. Luhar, Virendra Desai (Desai’s second son), Nanubhai Desai and Ramchandra Thakur.

Others

Faredoon Irani was a noted cinematographer. He started his career as "an apprentice" at Imperial Films. His first independent film was a Gujarati short four-reeler; Shri Krishna Danlila, shown along with Meera Bai in 1932. His work in Bulbul-E-Baghdad was appreciated when the film became a big commercial success. Faredoon worked on Mehboob Khan's Al Hilal.

Anil Biswas started his career as a music director with his first film; Dharam Ki Devi (1935) at Indian Arts. Jagirdar (1937) was Biswas' first big success. His other films for Sagar were Kokila, Dynamite, Gramaphone Singer, Hum Tum Aur Woh, Postman, 300 Days And After, Watan, Comrades and Ek hi Raasta.

Zia Sarhadi wrote the lyrics, story, screenplay and dialogues for Sagar films. Other people of note working at Sagar were Safdar Aah, Pandit Indra, Wajahat Mirza, Pransukh Naik and S. P. Rane.

National Studios

Sagar Movietone closed down by end of 1939. The last two completed films of Sagar were Civil Marriage (1939) and Alibaba (1940), with Kumkum The Dancer, a bilingual in Hindi and Bengali, scheduled to be released by Christmas 1939. "And that is the end of Sagar!" stated Filmindia in its December 1939 Studio Close-ups column. [22]

The closure was reported by Baburao Patel, editor of cine-magazine Filmindia in his column "An Eventful Year" in the December 1939 issue,

"1939 will be sadly remembered as the year that saw the collapse of Sagar, one of the oldest studios in India. They seemed to have started the year fairly well with "Ladies Only" and "The Only Way" and had announced an ambitious programme including two bi-lingual pictures ("Ali Baba" in Punjabi and Hindustani and "Kumkum The Dancer" in Bengali and Hindustani) for which they considerably increased their staff of artistes and technicians. But then something went wrong, "Comrades" proved treacherous, there were rumours of mergers, closures, mortgages of pictures, reduction of staff, heart-breaks and tears until today the old Sagar glory is no more, and Seth Chimanlal Desai plays the second fiddle to the Fazalbhoys in the newly-formed National Studios. It is a sad, sad story with its own moral". [23]

Desai, in association with Yusuf Fazalbhoy of General Pictures, amalgamated the two companies, Sagar Movietone and General Pictures, to form "National Studios" in 1939. The person of importance in National was Mehboob Khan, with his first film under National; Aurat (1940) becoming a big success both with the critics as well as the audiences.

Filmography

List: [8]

YearFilmDirectorCastNotes/ComposerRef
1930Dav PechMoti B. Gidwani Master Vithal, Gohar, Yakub Silent film [24]
1930Nai Roshni (Royal Rivals)Bhagwati MishraJal Merchant, Ermeline, Yakub, RajkumariSilent film [25]
1930Mewad No Mawali (Rogue Of Rajasthan)Madanrai VakilD. Billimoria, Mehboob Khan, NirashaSilent film [26]
1930Arunodaya (Dawn/Rising Sun)Bhagwati MishraMaster Vithal, Manorama, Yakub, Nirasha, Boman Irani, WamanraoSilent film [27]
1930Veer Na Ver (The Conqueror)Moti B. GidwaniMaster Vithal, GoharSilent film [28]
1931Toofani Taruni (Cyclone Girl)Moti B. GidwaniJal Merchant, Ermeline, Yakub, LaxmiSilent film [29]
1931Toofan (Children Of The Storm)Bhagwati Mishra Prithviraj Kapoor, Ermeline, Fali MerchantSilent Film [29]
1931Golibar (Avenging Angels)Bhagwati Prasad MishraErmeline, Prithviraj Kapoor, Mazhar Khan, RomilaSilent film[ citation needed ]
1931Meethi Chhuri (Eye For An Eye)Madanrai Vakil Zubeida, Khursheed Begum, Yakub, Ghulam QadirSilent film[ citation needed ]
1931DilawarR. G. Torney Master Vithal, Pramila, Mubarak, Mehboob KhanSilent film [30]
1931Hoor-E-Misar (Land Of Pyramids)Prafulla GhoshMaster Vithal, ZubeidaSilent film [31]
1931Abul HasanPrafulla GhoshMiss Khatoon, Master Bachchu, Shehzadi, HadiSilent film[ citation needed ]
1931Veer AbhimanyuPrafulla GhoshJal Merchant, Zubeida, Yakub, Jilloobai, Mehboob KhanSilent film [32]
1931Meri Jaan (Romantic Prince)Prafulla Ghosh Master Vithal, Zubeida, Yakub, Sankatha Prasad [33]
1932Bulbule Baghdad (Fairy Of Baghdad)Nanubhai VakilMaster Bachchu, Sushila, Yakub, Miss Khatoon, Sushila [33]
1932MirabaiRamnik DesaiZubeida, Jal Merchant, Sankatha Prasad, Miss KhatoonS. P. Rane [34]
1932Galava a.k.a. Galav Maharishi or Chitrasena upakhyana (Tamil)D.R. Muthulakshmi, V. Sundaresh Iyer [35]
1932Sarvottam Badami & T.C.Vadivelu NaickerD.R. Muthulakshmi, V. Sundaresh Iyer, [35]
1932 Rama Paduka Pattabhishekam (The Coronation Of Lord Rama's Slippers) (Telugu) Sarvottam Badami Yadavalli Suryanarayana, C. S. R. Anjaneyulu, Surabhi Kamalabai [11]
1932 Shakuntala (Telugu) Sarvottam Badami Yadavalli Suryanarayana, Surabhi Kamalabai
1932Maya Bazar a.k.a. Surekha Haran (The Land Of Illusion) Nanubhai Vakil Master Bachchu, Khatoon, YakubS. P. Rane [33]
1932 Narsinh Mehta (Gujarati) Nanubhai Vakil Master Manhar, Mohanlala, Marutirao, Mehtab, Tikramdas, Jamna, Miss KhatoonS. P. Rane [35]
1932Subhadra Haran Prafulla Ghosh Zubeida, Master Bachchu, Jal Merchant, Sankatha Prasad[ citation needed ]
1932Zarina Ezra Mir Zubeida, Jal Merchant, Noor Mohammed Charlie, Sankatha PrasadS. P. Rane[ citation needed ]
1933 Chandrahasa Sarvottam Badami Master Bachchu, Noor Mohammed Charlie, Gulzar, Kamala, Mehboob Khan, Baburao Sansare1st Hindi film directed by Badami. Music: S. P. Rane [36]
1933Mahabharat also (Pandav Kaurav) Nanubhai Vakil Jal Merchant, Zubeida, Master Bachchu, Khatoon, Mehboob KhanS. P. Rane [37]
1933Mirza SahibanNagendra MazumdarMaster Bachchu, Kamalabai Gokhale, Dinkar S. Bidkar, Miss Gulzar, Mehboob KhanS. P. Rane [38]
1933Premi Pagal Ezra Mir Master Bachchu, Kamalabai, Miss Gulzar, Noor Mohammed Charlie S. P. Rane
1934Anokhi MohabbatRamnik DesaiKumar, Sitara Devi, Yakub, TarabaiBairam Singh[ citation needed ]
1934 Grihalaxmi Sarvottam Badami Sabita Devi, Jal Merchant, Yakub, Kamala Devi, K. C. Dey S. P. Rane [39]
1934NachwaliRamnik Desai Jaddanbai, Yakub, Swarup Rani, Rafiqe Ghaznavi Bairam Singh[ citation needed ]
1934Farzande Hind (Phantom Of The Hills) Ezra Mir Sabita Devi, Jal Merchant, Yakub, Noor Mohammed CharlieS. P. Rane[ citation needed ]
1934Sati Anjani (Pious Anjani) also Hanuman Janma Kanjibhai Rathod Panna, Yakub, Asooji, Anees KhatoonS. P. Rane [40]
1934Shaher Ka Jadoo (Lure Of The City)K. P. Ghosh (Kali Prasad Ghosh)Kumar, Sitara Devi, K. C. Dey, Miss Gulzar, Tarabai [41]
1935 Al Hilal Mehboob Khan Sitara Devi, Kumar, Indira Devi, Yakub, AzuriePransukh Naik[ citation needed ]
1935 Dr. Madhurika Sarvottam BadamiMotilal, Sabita Devi, Padma Shaligram, Bhudo Advani Pransukh Naik, Ashok Ghosh[ citation needed ]
1935Silver KingC. M. LuharMotilal, Sabita Devi, Yakub, AsoojiPransukh Naik [42]
1935 Vengeance Is Mine a.k.a. Ver Ni Vasulat Sarvottam Badami Motilal, Sabita Devi, Padma Shaligram, Yakub, Mehboob KhanS. P. Rane[ citation needed ]
1936 Deccan Queen Mehboob Khan Surendra, Aruna Devi, Bhudo Advani, Pesi Patel, RamchandraPransukh Naik [43]
1936 Do Diwane (Two Rogues/Gay Birds) also Be Kharab JaanChimanlal LuharMotilal, Shobhna Samarth, Aruna Devi, Yakub, Bhudo AdvaniK. M. Munshi's play. Music: Pransukh Naik [44]
1936 Grama Kanya (Village Girl) Sarvottam Badami Surendra, Sabita Devi, Yakub, Aruna, Kayam AliShankarrao Khatu [45]
1936 Jeevan Lata (The Creeper Of Life) Sarvottam Badami Sabita Devi, Motilal, Miss Gulzar, Sankatha PrasadPransukh Naik [43]
1936Lagna Bandhan (The Bonds Of Marriage/The Forbidden Bride)K. P. GhoshMotilal, Sabita Devi, Aruna Devi, Lilvati, Azurie Pransukh Naik [43]
1936 Manmohan Mehboob Khan Surendra, Bibbo, Yakub, Ashalata Anil Biswas [46]
1936Veer Abhimanyu(Telugu)V. D. AminKanchanmala [11]
1937Bhakt Shri Thiagraj (Tamil)Virendra DesaiMangalam Natesar, Kamala [11]
1937Captain Kirti KumarC. M. LuharMotilal, Bibbo, Krishna Kumari, Yakub, Sankatha PrasadBhaskar Rao [47]
1937 Jagirdar Mehboob Khan Surendra, Motilal, Yakub, Bibbo, Zia Sarhadi Anil Biswas [48]
1937 Kokila Sarvottam Badami Motilal, Sabita Devi, Shobhna Samarth, Yakub, Maya Bannerjee, Sitara DeviAnil Biswas [43]
1937 Kulvadhu Sarvottam BadamiMotilal, Sabita Devi, Gulzar, Pesi PatelPransukh Naik[ citation needed ]
1937Sagar Ka Sher (Lion Of Sagar)YakubYakub, Kamlabai, Sankatha Prasad, Pesi PatelPransukh Naik [43]
1938DynamiteC. M. LuharSurendra, Bibbo, Maya Bannerjee, Yakub, Bhudo AdvaniAnil Biswas [49]
1938Gramaphone SingerV. C. Desai, Ramchandra ThakurSurendra, Bibbo, Prabha Devi, Bhudo Advani, Kayam AliAnil Biswas [49]
1938 Hum Tum Aur Woh (We Three) Mehboob Khan Motilal, Maya Bannerji, Yakub, RoseAnil Biswas [50]
1938 Three Hundred Days And After Sarvottam Badami Motilal, Sabita Devi, Yakub, Bibbo, Sankatha Prasad, Pesi PatelAnil Biswas [49]
1938Jalaja(Tamil)Gautam K. SheshagiriBhanumathi, G. K. SheshagiriN. Ananthram [35]
1938 Desa Munnetram (Tamil)Mahendra Thakore K. R. Chellam, M. Natesan Iyer, Baby Rukmani, Shripat Shankar, S. R. Padma50 song soundtrack. Music: Papanasam Sivam, K. Sundaram [35]
1938Valibar Sangam(Tamil)A. N. Kalyansundaram IyerBaby Kamala (Kamala Kumari) [51]
1938Ramnam Mahimai(Tamil)A. N. Kalyansundaram IyerBaby Kamala (Kamala Kumari) [51]
1939 Ek Hi Raasta (The Only Way) Mehboob Khan Arun, Sheikh Mukhtar, Jyoti, HarishAnil Biswas [52]
1939SadhanaVirendra Desai, Mahendra Thakore Prem Adib, Bibbo, Shobhana Samarth, Harish, KanhaiyalalAnupam Ghatak [49]
1939Seva Samaj (Service Limited)C. M. LuharSurendra, Maya Bannerjee, Bibbo, Yakub, BHudo AdvaniAnupam Ghatak [49]
1940 Ali Baba Mehboob KhanBibbo, Wahidan Bai, Surendra, Sardar Akhtar Anil Biswas [53]
1940Kumkum The Dancer (Hindi/Bengali)Modhu BoseSadhana Bose, Dhiraj Bhattacharya, Padma Devi, Preeti Majumdar, Moni ChatterjeeTimir Baran

See also

Bibliography

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Sajani is a 1940 Hindi social film directed by Sarvottam Badami for Sudama Productions. Scripted by Zia Sarhadi, the film had music by Gyan Dutt and starred Prithviraj Kapoor, Sabita Devi, Snehprabha Pradhan, Noor Jehan, Dixit, and Ghory. Badami left Sagar Movietone where he had made satirical comedies to join his "mentor" Ambalal Patel at Sudama Productions to make "socially relevant film(s)", where Sajani was one of the first. Snehprabha Pradhan acted in several films produced by Chimanbhai Desai in 1940, including Sajani.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Surendra (actor)</span> Indian singer-actor

Surendra was an Indian singer-actor of Hindi films. Known by his mononym, Surendra was born and educated in Punjab to be a lawyer by profession. He came to Bombay to become a singer on the recommendation of a Delhi distributor and his friends. He was "picked" by Mehboob Khan whom he met at Sagar Movietone, to sing and act in films as an alternative to the then Calcutta-based singer-actor, K. L. Saigal. Surendra started his career with his debut starring role in Deccan Queen (1936), directed by Mehboob Khan. He soon became a part of Sagar Movietone when his song "Birha Ki Aag Lagi More Man Mein" from the film became an "instant hit".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bibbo (actress)</span> Hindi and Urdu film actress (1906 – 1972)

Bibbo was a music composer, singer and actress who worked in both Indian and Pakistani films. She acted in Indian cinema from 1931 to 1947 before moving to Pakistan, following Partition of India in 1947. She started her acting career with Ajanta Cinetone Ltd. in 1933, working with directors like M. D. Bhavnani and A. P. Kapoor. She was one of the top leading ladies of the 1930s along with actresses like Devika Rani, Durga Khote, Sulochana, Mehtab, Shanta Apte, Sabita Devi, Leela Desai and Naseem Banu. She was referred to as "one of the most important female stars of the 1930s and 1940s". Her fame had her featured in the lyrics of a popular song from the film Gharib Ke Lal (1939) sung by Mirza Musharraf and Kamla Karnataki, with music by Sagheer Asif and lyrics by Rafi Kashmiri. "Tujhe Bibbo Kahoon Ke Sulochana", where Sulochana referred to another popular actress of the time. This was the first time a song featuring famous actors was used in the lyrics of a film song.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sabita Devi</span> Indian actress (1914–1965)

Sabita Devi (1914–1965) was a Hindi film actress in Indian cinema. She is stated to be one of the "prominent" leading ladies of the "pioneering era" of Indian cinema along with Mehtab, Bibbo, Durga Khote, Gohar, Devika Rani and Seeta Devi. A Jewish by birth, she changed her name to find acceptability in Hindi cinema like the other Anglo-Indian and Jewish actresses of her time, Sulochana, Seeta Devi, Madhuri, and Manorama. After initially working with British Dominion Films Ltd., Calcutta, she shifted to Bombay and performed mainly in films produced by Sagar Movietone with her co-star in most films being Motilal. Some of the popular films with Motilal were Dr. Madhurika (1935) and Kulvadhu (1937) directed by Sarvottam Badami. Their first film together was Shaher Ka Jadoo (1934), which was also Motilal's debut film, and then Lagna Bandhan (1936) both directed by Kaliprasad Ghosh. She acted in Silver King (1935) with Motilal. It was an action film directed by C. M. Luhar, which became a "huge success".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mazhar Khan (actor, born 1905)</span> Indian film actor, director and producer

Mazhar Khan was an actor, producer, and director in Indian Cinema. He began his career as a police officer, which he left to study law for a short period. After abandoning his studies, he came to Bombay and started his career in cinema with the silent film Fatal Garland (1928) opposite the top actress of the time, Ermeline. He became a popular actor, gaining success in several silent films. During his stint in silent films he worked with directors such as Bhagwati Prasad Mishra, Ezra Mir, Moti P. Bhagnani, R. S. Chowdhary, and M. D. Bhavnani. Magazines in the 1940s compared Khan to Hollywood actors such as Paul Muni, Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bhudo Advani</span> Indian cinema character-actor and comedian

Bhudo Advani was an Indian character actor and comedian. He started his acting career in theatre with the notion of spreading awareness on social issues. He came to Bombay on the advice of an Ajanta Cinetone representative and was offered a role in the film Afzal, also called Hoor-E-Haram in 1933, directed by Mohan Bhavnani. He later joined Sagar Movietone, becoming an important fixture in most films produced by them. He turned from character roles to comedy performing in Dr. Madhurika (1935), directed by Sarvottam Badami, Deccan Queen (1936) and Do Diwaane (1936), by C. Luhar.

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